


End of the Street

by sweetsyub



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Sburb Session, Alternate Universe - No Sburb/Sgrub Sessions, F/M, Ghosts, Halloween, Haunted Houses, Humanstuck, M/M, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-07
Updated: 2015-10-07
Packaged: 2018-04-25 05:43:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4948846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sweetsyub/pseuds/sweetsyub
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alone in the town's residential haunted house for a night, Karkat can't believe his luck when he realizes he's not the only one stuck there for the night.</p>
            </blockquote>





	End of the Street

At the end of the road stood a large, broken-down house, tucked away behind looming trees and overgrown shrubbery. The wind rocked the limbs around the house and knocked the shutters against the windows. Nearly half a block away sat a car, idling about as noisily as the impatient girl at the wheel.

"Come on, Karkat, I haven't got all night. A bet's a bet, get out of my car!" The boy in the back seat shot a glare at her, then darted away at the sight of her sharp, wicked grin. 

"Fuck you, Vriska, I'm going! Terezi, will you please keep your phone on you? If I die in there, it's both your fault!" 

"Oh, come on, Karkles, you're not gonna die," Terezi drawled, "probably." The two girls cackled wildly and Karkat rolled his eyes, climbing out of the car, dragging his bag with him. The second he shut the door, the car was taking off and whipping around.

"Try not to diiiieeee!" Vriska sang out her window as they passed. Karkat flipped them the bird and started trudging toward the house.

Night was falling rapidly as he approached the old house. There were a lot of stories surrounding the place; a girl killed attempting to summon spirits, a man who hanged himself, the typical stories. Then there were some that were clearly just to scare people away from doing exactly what he was about to do; a guy who went in and fell down the stairs on his own knife, a set of twins or siblings or cousins (the story changed every time) who went in to investigate, one becoming possessed and killing the other. There were loads of them and while Karkat rationally refused to believe them, he certainly wasn't going to go into the house announcing so - y'know, just in case.

When he reached the house he went around the side, forgoing the front door, knowing it to be locked. Everyone always said the side door was always unlocked no matter what, and when he found it, he could certainly see why: it was a cellar door, angled between the house and the ground. He sighed and leaned down, pulling the door open, then stepped back to stare into the dark abyss, frowning for a moment. He dug out his flashlight from his backpack and pulled on the straps, then flipped on the flashlight and descended into the darkness, pulling the door shut behind him.

The cellar was, beyond anything else, filthy. Everything was cement and crumbling, wires hanging all over the place. It seemed fairly large, a fair amount of walls separating the cellar into separate rooms, but Karkat was already not in the mood for exploring, already trembling in his boots -- definitely just because it was frigid in there and no other reason. He shined his light around, looking for stairs or a door or anything to get him out of this particular part of the house. 

Finally spotting a set of stairs in the far corner of the cellar, Karkat made a beeline for it, refusing to look anywhere else but the stairs - he swore to god, if anything moved, he _swore to god_ \--

Hurrying up the stairs and around the corner, he finally found a hallway, just about as filthy as the cellar but not as crumbly, and with way less random wires hanging about. He headed down the hall, which turned to lead to a kitchen; it didn't look terrible, if only a little old. The kitchen seemed to be the center of the house, doorways to a dining room and a living room on one side, bedrooms on the other. Karkat peered into the dining room and living room one by one, deciding to save them for last, then went back to look through the bedrooms. 

It was mostly empty save for a few stray items here and there; end tables, candles, cans of sodas and beers from nosy kids with varying amounts of dust on them. The bedrooms were fairly large, though one had odd writing on the door frames that Karkat decided he didn't want to read, so he quickly checked the bathroom instead. It had incredibly odd setup, the toilet hiding behind the door, and with good reason in Karkat's opinion, as it had been stopped up over the years with no running water to purge it. Karkat carefully closed the door as he stepped out, taking a lungful of fresh (musty) air. Heading back down the hall for the kitchen and on through to the living room, he turned through the doorway.

" _Holy shit_ -"

"OH MY GOD!"

In a flurry of limbs and flashlight beam, Karkat leapt back away from the person he'd nearly plowed through, brandishing his flashlight before him like a weapon. The boy in front of him collected himself, straightening to his (way too tall) full height and pushing a hand through his (way too flippy) blond hair. He was dressed fairly plain, so Karkat exhaled heavily, assumed this boy wasn't about to harvest his organs, and lowered the flashlight. 

"Well, isn't this exciting," the other boy said, sounding entirely unphased by Karkat's presence. 

"Fucking tell me about it," Karkat muttered before glancing around, frowning. "Were you in here earlier?" The boy raised an eyebrow. 

"Just came down, why?"

"Oh - nothing, just been looking around. I was going to be really fucking concerned if I'd missed an entire fucking person.

Karkat chewed his lip, fingers fumbling his flashlight. He cast a glance at the new stranger, who looked absolutely at ease, hands in his pockets, face set in a passive lack of expression. 

"So.. I'm uh. Stuck here for the night, so, I mean.. would you...."

"Considering I'm also stuck here for the night, yeah, I'll keep you company. I mean, fuck, how awkward would it be, the both of us like, wandering around, refusing to acknowledge each other? Wait, no, by awkward, I mean 'hilarious.'" Karkat pursed his lips, narrowing his eyes at the boy. "Oh, I'm Dave, by the way. Dave Strider, if last names are your gig."

"Karkat Vantas. Why are you here, anyway?"

"Why's any asshole ever here? Bets, dares, showing off. Doesn't matter, it's always the same - survive for the whole night." Dave said this in what was presumably his best spooky voice, which Karkat found a bit hollow and lacking. "You're sure as hell in here on a bet, I'm guessing. Too rational for dares, don't give a shit enough for showing off." Karkat opened his mouth, surprised, ready to ask how he knew that - was he really that obvious? "Same thing for me, really. A bet's a bet, and winning 'em's a special kind of pride. What're your stakes?"

"They're.. stupid, seriously, you don't want to know. Why, what are yours?"

"Asshole brother promised me a new camera if I stuck it out. I'm feelin' a Polaroid. Shit's downright fuckin' neat." Karkat snorted, but Dave didn't seem to care. "Got shit for a fire? We could draw the curtains so no one sees."

"I brought a few newspapers and candles, but not enough to last the night. I figured I'd save them in case it gets too cold." Dave gave a small shrug and nodded.

"Good thinking." He sat on the floor, fairly graceful, making Karkat feel a little silly when he was definitely much more graceless. Leaning back on his hands, legs sprawled out in front of him, Dave watched Karkat, probably. Thanks, shades. "You scared?"

"What? No, fuck that," Karkat spat. Dave smirked.

"You're totally flippin' your shit right now, aren't you?" Karkat flipped the bird for the second time that night, then hugged his knees to his chest. "At least you're not alone. Could be worst, gotta admit that." Frowning at the floor, Karkat nodded slowly. 

"When I saw you, I honestly fucking thought I was about to die," Karkat muttered, earning a bigger smirk from Dave. "Don't be smug, I already thought I was gonna die. You're not scary. You're like, wimpy as fuck." 

"Nah, man, I'm a fucking beefcake," Dave countered, flexing unimpressively for show. 

"Oh man, you sure got me," Karkat drawled, pretending to fan himself.

"I know, I know, got all the ladies swoonin'." Karkat snorted, but he relaxed. Dave was right, at least. It wouldn't be awful with him there. Maybe time would even pass quicker.

 

"No way, and you fell for it?" Dave sounded ready to crack up.

"Shut up! I didn't know! He just knows me too well, he knows exactly what I'll fucking fall for!"

"Oh man, that is great. I can't believe it."

"Yeah, yeah, shut up. So sorry I trust my friends not to be dicks. It's my turn." Karkat leaned back, thinking. "Alright, alright. What.. hm. What do you wanna be when you grow up?" He cast his eyes back to Dave.

"Oh, fucking cake. Archaeologist," he answered very seriously. Karkat raised an eyebrow.

"Really? Huh."

"What?"

"No, I just - I dunno, it doesn't seem like something that would interest you," Karkat explained earnestly. Dave shrugged.

"I dunno, just something I always thought was cool. I mean, yeah, there are a couple things I wanna do on the side." Karkat picked at his shoe, rubber peeling off in spots. "But I figure, just in case those don't take off, I've got other shit I like to do, y'know?" 

"Not really. I've just got stupid dreams and nothing to fall back on. I'm probably gonna fuck myself over, get stuck cashiering or something until I die young from a stress induced heart attack." Dave snorted.

"I dunno man, you're a pretty stubborn guy, you can probably make it. Whatever it is you wanna do." Karkat cast him a disbelieving look, but Dave looked perfectly solemn.

"Thanks, I guess..." Karkat muttered, glancing down at his watch. Hours had flown by without him noticing, but seeing the clock past three a.m. forced him to acknowledge a growling in his gut, so he dug through his bag and grabbed a couple of granola bars. He held one out to Dave as he ripped the other open with his teeth. Dave snorted at the savage display of unpackaging. 

"I'm good, man, thanks." Karkat shrugged and began devouring the first granola bar, taking a break only to dig out his water bottle. Dave just watched quietly, chuckling every now and then when Karkat nearly choked himself on his snack.

 

"If I last the whole night, I get a date with Terezi." Dave raised an eyebrow questioningly. "I mean, she's already up for it, but Vriska tells her not to, distracts her with something else, whatever she can do to fuck up my chances."

"That's fucked up, man."

"I know! So this whole thing was Vriska's shitty idea. She knows I'd freak out in the middle of the night and go home... if, y'know, I didn't happen to find someone to distract me all night."

"Oh, I'll distract you alright," Dave drawled, and Karkat had the suspicious feeling he was winking behind his shades and reddened automatically. Dave chuckled while Karkat ducked in an attempt to hide his face. "I'm kidding, don't get your panties in a bunch."

"Consider my panties presently unbunched." Dave just kept watching him, smirking a little too knowingly.

"What if you lost?"

"Huh?"

"The bet. What's Vriska get if you lose?"

"Oh, uh.... Well, see, Vriska has like, this larp group? So, if I lost, I was going to, y'know... have to come to a session and be like, a stolen princess or whatever. Bright ass pink dress and everything. She's a fucking heathen." Dave outright grinned.

"I'd kill to see that, not gonna lie." Karkat shot him a glare, hoping it came off as malicious and he hoped, but Dave's stupid crooked smile all but disarmed him. Something about making this reserved kid smile made him feel a little more proud than he thought it should. "Hey, are you from around here?" 

"Yeah, I live across town," Karkat answered.

"Really?"

"Yeah?" Karkat mimicked his questioning tone.

"I've just never seen you around. I feel like I'd remember you." Dave pressed his lips tight, frowning a little.

"I don't get out much," Karkat conceded. 

"Well, we should hang out again. Here, got paper and a pen?" Dave asked. Karkat delved into his bag, ripped a corner of newspaper off, and put the scrap and a pen between them on the hardwood floor. Dave leaned forward as Karkat glanced at the window; the sky was gradually lightening. "Well, here's my number. You should call me and we'll see a movie or something. You can tell me all about your big date with Terezi." He sat back and Karkat returned his gaze to him.

"Right. Yeah, I'll do that, definitely," he said, grabbing the paper and shoving it in his pocket. He glanced back at the window. "Think it's getting light out." He looked down at his watch. "Couple minutes to sunrise." 

"Well... may as well head on out, then," Dave said, standing and wiping the dust off his pants. Karkat stood, as well, slipping his backpack on, watching Dave. 

"Hey, uh..." Karkat started quietly, Dave looking over to him. "I just - it's nice meeting- I mean... I'm glad you were here, too. It was actually pretty fun." Dave smiled a little, the most sincere smile Karkat had seen from him all night. He looked different in the hazy morning light. 

"Alright, you sentimental sap. Whatever you say." Karkat rolled his eyes at his brusque tone and headed for the front door, unlocking it.

"Let's get out of here," said Karkat. Dave paused, checking the floor around him.

"Right," he said. Karkat pried open the stiff front door and stepped out into the misty October morning, air crisp and harsh after a night of breathing dust. On the street, he saw Vriska's car, idling loudly once again, and headed for it.

"Can we give my friend a ride?" Karkat asked as he opened the back door.

"What friend? You didn't _leave_ , did you? You lose if you left," Vriska drawled impatiently and Karkat shot her a glare.

"He was in the house too, _also_ by some fuckwit's shitty bet." Vriska rolled her eyes.

"Uh huh. Sure. Well, I'm not waiting all day for some random asshole, so your stupid friend better hurry the hell up," Vriska growled, leaning against her steering wheel.

The car continued to idle and wheeze as they waited, mist collecting on the windows. Karkat continually avoided Vriska bloodshot gaze, eyes flitting every few seconds to the old house.

"Where the hell _is_ he, Karkat?!" Vriska finally demanded, making Terezi stir from her catnap.

"Wherzhoo?" Terezi slurred.

"Karkat's stupid friend! I'm not waiting all day, y'know. Got places to see, people to do," Vriska ranted, then turned to glare at Karkat. "Just text him or something! God!" Karkat jumped a little and quickly shoved his hand in his pocket, digging out the scrap of paper with Dave's number, other hand delving through his backpack for his phone. He then paused, having caught a glance of the paper. He flipped it over, but the other side was the same: blank. He cast one last glance up at the old house.

"Forget it," Karkat said, looking away from the house as Vriska shifted gears and turned the car around, away from the end of the street.


End file.
